His Excellency Harold Joseph, Ambassador of Haiti to the Bahamas represented Haiti, Her Excellency Rosalyn Hazelle represented St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency Anthony Severin, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs represented Saint Lucia, His Excellency Ellsworth John, Director, Regional Integration and Diaspora Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister represented St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Mr. Jimmy Emmanuel, Project Coordinator, represented the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

As part of their two-day deliberations, the Ministers received H.E. Albert Ramdin, Assistant Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States (OAS) and welcomed the updates provided on preparations for the upcoming Thirty-Eighth OAS General Assembly to be held in Medellin, Colombia in June 2008 and the Fifth Summit of the Americas to be hosted by Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009.

Ministers also received His Excellency Eduardo Enrique Reina, Deputy Foreign Minister of Honduras who reiterated the invitation from his Government for high-level representation by CARICOM Member States at the Summit on Climate Change and the Environment scheduled for 26-28 May 2008 in Honduras. This will be preceded by the Meetings of Officials on 26 May and Ministers on 27 May.

Opening Ceremony

H.E Edwin Carrington, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, in remarks at the Opening Ceremony lauded the success of the Community in the pursuit of the coordination of Foreign Policy, which he noted has been one of the greatest strengths of the Caribbean Community and has been a widespread source of admiration by many. The Secretary-General alluded to the challenges of a rapidly changing international and hemispheric environment and the need for the Community to urgently respond to the redistribution of power and influence on the global stage.

The Secretary-General highlighted the changed priorities of many of the Community's traditional partners, citing the shifting emphasis towards security in the case of the United States and the move from a preferential to a reciprocal trading relationship in the case of the United Kingdom, as part of the European Union-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement. With reference to Canada, the Secretary-General highlighted the Community's historical ties with that country and the recent decision of the Canadian Government to significantly enhance its support to the Region through some Cdn$600M in technical assistance over the next decade with a much stronger emphasis on the integration process.

The outgoing Chairman of the COFCOR, the Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize, underscored the increasing need for the strengthening of the Region's integration movement in the context of the nature, speed and scope of the global changes and challenges with which CARICOM countries are faced. The Minister further stressed the urgency of closer global collaboration and cooperation, highlighting Climate Change as an issue which demands that type of response. Recalling the agreement of the COFCOR at its Tenth Meeting in 2007 that Climate Change should remain permanently on the COFCOR Agenda, Minister Elrington lauded the efforts of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center (CCCCC) which has been very active in conducting research and analysis and in disseminating vital information to countries to help efforts to mitigate the damage being caused by climate change.

Chairman of COFCOR, the Hon. Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda, emphasised the influence which CARICOM countries, even as small states, can have when united to allow the Region's voice to be heard on the international stage. This he noted, is particularly critical in the face of problems which dominate current day headlines, throughout the world, such as rising oil prices, rising food prices, increasing, poverty and environmental degradation.

DOWNLOAD FULL DOCUMENT BELOW